Lime announced funding of $335 million that Uber, and Google's Alphabet and others, had contributed to

CALIFORNIA, U.S. - As part of its new partnership with a scooter hire company Lime, ride-sharing giant Uber will now allow users to rent scooters through its app.

Lime is a service which allows people to hire scooters, electric bikes and pedal cycles in 46 cities and as part of the deal with Uber, users will be able to rent Lime's scooters via the Uber app.

Along with revealing details of the deal, Lime announced funding of $335 million that Uber, along with Google's Alphabet and others, had contributed to.

Lime founder Toby Sun announced the deal in a blog and said that Uber had made a "sizable investment.

He added that the tie-up would "offer people a greater variety of transportation modes at their fingertips and make it increasingly easy to live without a car.

The 18-month-old firm is currently valued at about $1 billion.

In a brief statement on the partnership, Uber vice-president Rachel Holt said, "Our investment and partnership in Lime is another step towards our vision of becoming a one stop shop for all your transportation needs. Lime already has an expansive footprint, and we're excited to incorporate their scooters into the Uber app so consumers have another fast, affordable option to get around their city, especially to and from public transit.